Tag: Imran Khan

  • If PML-N has support within NA from PTI, it should bring motion of no-confidence against PM Khan: BBZ

    If PML-N has support within NA from PTI, it should bring motion of no-confidence against PM Khan: BBZ

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari took a jibe at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), saying that if they have [PML-N] the support of 34 members of the National Assembly (NA) from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), then they should bring a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister (PM) Imran khan.

    Previously, PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had claimed that he knows “22 members of the NA who don’t want to remain part of the incumbent government anymore and PTI would lose majority in Lower House if those 22 people step aside.”

    Bilawal said his party “always” acts for the betterment of the Parliament and democracy in the country, saying that the party would opt for a no-confidence motion against PM Khan and not besiege the Parliament.

    Further, the Chairperson said he believes that an extreme step from political parties against the government could lead to a crisis in Pakistan. “In our agreement with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a no-confidence motion was the last option.”

    “We will not hold prolonged sit-ins and attack the institutions; we will conduct political business in the Parliament. If we wish to remove the government, then we will do it in line with the Constitution.”

    Talking about the party’s relation with the establishment, Bilawal said: “We have never been interested in forging relations with the establishment, and we never will be,” adding that relations with the establishment are based on media speculation.

    PPP is set for a long march from Karachi to Islamabad on February 27 while PDM had announced its March on Pakistan Day.

  • PM Khan slams SCBA for ‘supporting criminals, fugitives’

    PM Khan slams SCBA for ‘supporting criminals, fugitives’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Tuesday slammed the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) over its decision to file a petition against lifelong disqualification.

    PM Khan said that one of the leading lawyers’ bodies in the country has gone to court for a “thief” who ran to London by “lying”.

    PM Khan, without taking the name of former PM Nawaz Sharif, said, “If this is how things are, then what is wrong with stealing?”

    “They [SCBA] are asking the court to give him [Nawaz Sharif] one more chance. SCBA’s next petition should be to open [the doors] of all the jails,” said PM Khan while addressing the launch ceremony of the Sehat Insaf Card in Bahawalpur.

    Referring to the criminals who were behind bars, the premier said: “If you don’t see the evil in it, then why are these poor souls behind bars? First, let them out… The next petition should be to open all jails and free all those people who have been imprisoned for theft.”

    PM Khan further said that only the powerful get away unpunished. “They can do whatever they want. Both his sons are… living in London in properties worth billions of rupees. London is the most expensive city in Europe and their properties are located in the most expensive parts of the city.”

    “Till a nation does not unite to fight [against wrongdoing], the rule of law will not prevail. Our struggle is against bandits,” said PM Imran.

    When asked about PM Khan’s comments about the petition, President SCBA Mohammad Ahsan Bhoon responded by narrating an incident about humans.

    Last week, the SCBA filed a petition against the lifelong disqualification of lawmakers and said that such a law without the right to appeal is unjust.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the result of this petition can affect the outcome of SC verdicts disqualifying Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif, as well as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) disgruntled leader Jahangir Tareen.

  • 84 per cent Pakistanis consider inflation biggest problem: survey

    84 per cent Pakistanis consider inflation biggest problem: survey

    Quarterly Performance Evaluation Survey (QPES), a Pulse Consultant’s indigenous tracking tool of public perceptions and opinions about the government’s performance and current political situation, states that 84 per cent of Pakistanis consider inflation as the biggest problem of the country.

    Almost every Pakistani has been hit by inflation and 99 per cent are reporting that ‘Inflation increased in past three months’, reveals the survey.

    According to the survey, 65 per cent of Pakistanis blame the current sitting government for the country’s poor economic conditions, while 29 per cent blame previous governments.

    18 per cent of the country is satisfied by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s performance — 56 per cent believe PM Khan’s claim that Pakistan is out of the economic crisis. Just 15 per cent think that inflation will be reduced in the next three months.

    About the problems in the country, 80 per cent of the people think that unemployment is the biggest problem of the country while 37 per cent of the people have of opinion that corruption is the main problem of Pakistan.

    Similarly, 70 per cent Pakistanis believe that the economic situation of the country is going downhill as well.

    Read More- 59% traders consider Pakistan is not ‘moving in right direction’: Gallup Survey

    Furthermore, 69 per cent of Pakistanis believe that the country is going in the wrong direction.

    Respondents of the survey did not buy the government’s narrative where all blame was hurled at the previous regime that the current economic crises are due to previous governments’ loans. The majority of the respondents — 65 per cent — believe that it’s all due to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) wrong economic policies.

    When it comes to the provincial province’s performance, 55 per cent of Pakistanis in Punjab are dissatisfied and just 9 per cent are satisfied – 34 per cent are in between. Talking about Sindh, 42 per cent are dissatisfied and just 18 per cent are happy; the remaining 39 per cent are in-between.

    In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 55 per cent are dissatisfied and just 24 per cent are satisfied –20 per cent are in-between. Whereas in Balochistan, 55 per cent are dissatisfied and just 10 per cent are satisfied – 35 per cent are in-between.

  • Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed retires tomorrow

    Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed retires tomorrow

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed reties on Tuesday (tomorrow). Justice Gulzar had taken oath as the CJP in December 2019.

    CJP Gulzar mainly focused on removing encroachments in Karachi. He ordered the demolition of Nasla Tower as well as illegal houses built around Gujjar Nullah. In the end, he also ordered the relevant authorities to end commercial activities on military land in Karachi.

    Justice Gulzar further ordered to demolish a mosque and other encroachments built on amenity parks near Tariq Road in Karachi. Despite strong protests, he did not withdraw any order for the removal of encroachments in Karachi.

    CJP Gulzar could not give attention to reforms to improve the criminal justice system like his predecessor former CJP Asif Saeed Khosa.

    A three-judge bench led by him summoned Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan in a suo motu case on the martyrdom of children in the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar attack.

    The efforts of Justice Gulzar cannot be ignored to end the sense of insecurity among minority communities. He took courageous steps to send a strong message to extremist elements that the judiciary would not spare anyone involved in usurping the rights of minorities.

    Taking to Twitter, federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhary said, “The historic stand CJP Gulzar has taken on minority places of worship has greatly enhanced his prestige, at a time when India’s judiciary seems helpless at the hands of extremists.”

    The outgoing CJP also made history by nominating Lahore High Court’s Justice Ayesha Malik for her appointment as the first female judge of the Supreme Court.

    Justice Umar Ata Bandial will replace Justice Gulzar Ahmed, and will take oath as Pakistan’s 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan on February 2.

  • Ravi Urban project not presented correctly in court, govt will approach SC: PM Khan

    Ravi Urban project not presented correctly in court, govt will approach SC: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said Friday the government would move the Supreme Court after the Lahore High Court (LHC) nullified the Ravi Urban Development Project.

    Prime minister during his visit to Rakh Jhok forest said that this time the case would be presented in a better manner to appraise the court about the significance of the project in view of urban development and civic facilities, further saying that the case was not presented correctly in LHC.

    PM Imran Khan said wealth creation would help run 40 affiliated industries.

    “We need to set up new cities in view of the growing population, otherwise we will not be able to provide civic facilities to people,” he said.

    The premier mentioned that Lahore in near future could face similar civic problems like Karachi as a result of unplanned urban development.

    The LHC on Tuesday had declared the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project (RRUDP) illegal while announcing a verdict on the petitions against the project.

    The court also declared Section 4 of the Ravi Urban Development Authority (amendment) Ordinance 2021 unlawful and unconstitutional.

    The mentioned section is contradictory to Article 144 of the Constitution of Pakistan, it said.

  • PM Khan says treatment of Uighurs not true on ground

    PM Khan says treatment of Uighurs not true on ground

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, prior to his upcoming trip to China from February 3 to February 5, during which the premier will attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics and meet Chinese leaders. He also spoke to journalists on various issues concerning both Pakistan and China.

    The premier reinforced that his visit will reinforce a strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, and further advance the objective of building a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era.

    Appreciating China for how it developed over the years, PM Khan said the world should see how China helped the poor develop and eradicate poverty.

    Talking on China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) PM Khan said that the first phase of CPEC was connectivity and power generation. “Now the CPEC has moved into the next stage where it’s about the relocation of industry. We want to develop our industrial zones, our special economic zones. Then we want special help in agriculture to increase our productivity. In China, productivity is very high as compared to Pakistan. “

    When asked about how the West presented the picture of Chinese Muslims suffering in Uighur, PM Khan said, “There is a lot of criticism about the treatment of Uighur’s by China in the West. Our ambassador went there, Moin-ul-Haq, our ambassador in China went there. We had asked him, he went there and he sent us information and said this is actually not true on the ground.”

    “What we in Pakistan find it very difficult to swallow is that while they talk about Uighurs, they do not talk much in the West about Kashmir. Because in Kashmir the worst violations of human rights have taken place by India. And somehow there is selective silence about human rights in Kashmir,” said PM Khan.

    The premier further said, “Where there is something like nine million people, who are basically living in the worst conditions in almost open prison by these 800,000 Indian troops. So we find it very difficult that while on one side they talk about Xinjiang but on the other hand the silence about Kashmir is demeaning for us. And that double standard is what we in Pakistan find difficult.”

    The premier, talking about Afghanistan, said that is the foreign countries who turned have Afghanistan into a battleground and for 40 years the people have suffered. He further said that the people of Afghanistan have gotten a chance after 40 years to live in peace.

  • After PM’s Khan’s appeal for increase in workers’ salaries, ARY announces pay raise

    After PM’s Khan’s appeal for increase in workers’ salaries, ARY announces pay raise

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on January 24, while answering callers’ questions, during the telecast of the fifth ‘Aap Ka Wazir Azam Aap Ke Sath’, a town-hall-style broadcast where the premier takes questions from the public, said that the corporate sector has made a profit of Rs980 billion.

    “I would call them and ask them to increase the salaries of their staff because you have never made such a profit before today,” said PM Khan.

    Following PM Khan’s appeal to the corporate sector to increase the salaries of their staff, President and CEO ARY Digital Network Salman Iqbal on Friday announced a pay raise for lower-level employees.

    Salman Iqbal said the staff receiving a monthly salary of up to Rs20,000 will be given a raise of 80 per cent. “We have reached this stage with the blessing of Allah Almighty and countless efforts of the team,” he said.

    Federal Minister for Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar took to Twitter to congratulate Iqbal and said, “Well done @Salman_ARY for increasing salaries of ARY employees substantially. Big business houses have made exceptional profits in the last couple of years. Hope others will also follow and share the increased profitability with their workers by increasing their salaries.”

    Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry praising Salman Iqbal said, “Our salaried class has been affected by inflation and such steps will help this section of society navigate inflation.”

    Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said, “@salman_ARY took the initiative to share part of [the] profit with his employees. Others should also pass on benefit to their employees.”

  • 10 soldiers martyred in terrorist attack on checkpost in Balochistan’s Kech

    10 soldiers martyred in terrorist attack on checkpost in Balochistan’s Kech

    Ten soldiers were martyred after terrorists attacked a security forces’ check-post in Balochistan’s Kech district, informed Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    According to the statement issued by ISPR, the “fire raid” by terrorists occurred on the night of January 25-26.

    “During intense exchange of fire, one terrorist was killed and several injured. While repulsing terrorists’ fire raid, 10 soldiers embraced martyrdom,” read the statement.

    “The armed forces are determined to eliminate terrorists from our soil no matter what the cost,” the ISPR statement said.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan paid tribute to the martyred soldiers. “I salute the 10 martyred soldiers who repulsed a terrorist fire raid on checkpost in Kech Balochistan. We are resolute in our commitment to rid Pakistan of all forms of terrorism.”

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry tweeted, “The graveyards of Jhelum smell of the blood of these martyrs.”

  • ‘For the first time, govt making changes in law made during British rule’: PM Khan

    ‘For the first time, govt making changes in law made during British rule’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, while addressing an event regarding Criminal Law and Justice Reforms in Islamabad, said that massive amendments in law would help bring a revolution in the criminal justice system and simplify the procedure for the common man living in Pakistan.

    The prime minister said for the first time, the government was making changes in the laws introduced during the British rule to bring improvement to the way justice was dispensed.

    PM Khan said that none of the previous governments ever thought about reforming the century-old laws in order to maintain the status quo and accommodate the elite.

    The premier said the civil law reforms were a step towards ensuring rule of law in the country, that too in line with Islam’s first socio-welfare state of Madinah.

    He quoted a hadith of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), emphasising that many earlier nations were destroyed because there were separate laws for the powerful and the weak.

    Prime Minister Imran said the lack of supremacy of the law was the “biggest obstacle” preventing Pakistan from progressing. Talking about overseas Pakistanis, he said they were the country’s biggest asset and their income was equal to that of 220 million Pakistanis.

    Federal Law Minister Barrister Farogh Naseem, speaking at the occasion, said the Code of Criminal Procedure needed changes and mentioned that the newly-introduced 700 amendments had completely overhauled the existing legal system.

    Explaining those amendments, he said that the formation of a statute of an independent prosecution service, forensic laboratory, and prison rules were significant reforms.

    Parliamentary Secretary for Law Maleeka Bokhari said over 700 amendments made in the criminal procedure code were a milestone of the PTI government and will ensure prompt delivery of justice.

  • ‘The ones wearing long boots don’t know about the suffering of people’, PM Khan compares Shehbaz with Buzdar

    ‘The ones wearing long boots don’t know about the suffering of people’, PM Khan compares Shehbaz with Buzdar

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan launched Rs450 billion Naya Pakistan Qaumi Sehat Card on Wednesday and distributed them among residents of Islamabad with an annual medical cover of up to Rs1 million for each family.

    While addressing the ceremony, PM praised Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar. “He belongs to one of the most backward areas of the country and thus realises the suffering and problems confronting people.”

    He further said that some of the worst campaigns were launched against Buzdar but even then a survey declared him the top CM of the country. Last week, a survey found Punjab CM Usman Buzdar to be leading in satisfaction level for developmental works in comparison to other CMs.

    PM also took a jibe at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shehbaz Sharif. “A former CM of Punjab, who used to wear long boots and a hat and roam on the streets, flew abroad for his and his family’s medical treatment. They [Sharifs] do not know about the sufferings of the people.”

    CM Punjab Usman Buzdar said that the entire population of Punjab would receive medical insurance by March 31.